Monday, July 8, 2013

Writing With Hungery Kids

Summer is in full swing with the kids. This means my writing has taken a backseat to the grueling demands of four children. On the days I can write I found a system that works. I do have to admit it was hard getting used to the realization I no longer had the two plus hour time slot for writing that I now notably took for granted during the school year. I’m lucky if I get a few twenty minute jolts to punch out a chapter in between very loud children, messy diapers and hungry cries. ( This blog post has taken me an hour. Seriously.)

Feeding my children is what seems to interrupt my writing the most, next to them pestering each other. They eat all the time lately and it’s a never ending abyss of, “Mom, someone ate my snack.” or, “What’s for dinner?” And, that question is asked through out the day, even when it is well before noon. If they don’t know that I have an idea of what I will prepare, they think they won’t eat. EVER. Kids….. (Okay, here is a confession. If I don’t plan ahead we will end up getting drive thru or a bowl of cold cereal.)

Here is a little system I’ve found works so the whole snapping me out of a writing zone for food cuts back a bit. I make a scheduled menu. Our town does this free lunch program and gave out menus so we knew what was being served. The kids knew this is was it and that was that. Light bulb! I made one for my family. Every Sunday afternoon I sit down and plan it out on paper then hung it on the fridge door for the family to see. Breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner. It really helped with the grocery list as well.

On the days that I have to crunch and meet a deadline, I get real organized. The night before I pack lunches for each child in their own containers, then put it in the fridge where they can reach it. Snacks too. It works! It’s just when I'm done with a writing session and come out to find the kids have turned the house upside down and that solution is for another post.